Structural wall members



March 26, 1968 M. KESSLER 3,374,590

STRUCTURAL WALL MEMBERS Filed Feb. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

INVENTOR Milton Kes sler.

'ATTORF-JEY March 26, 1968 KESSLER 3,374,590

STRUCTURAL WALL iMEMBERS Filed Feb. 26, 1965 i 2 SheetsSheet 2 FIG. 6.

8 T- y: FIG. 8 -A/ xl\ I I V a :H y I V I //3 FIG. 7. g a

INVENTOR Milton Kessler ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,374,590 STRUCTURAL WALL MEMBERS Milton Kessler, 4535 Grove Drive, Youngstown, Ohio 44505 Filed Feb. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 435,439 6 Claims. (Cl. 52221) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An extruded plastic structural member for retaining and edging wall panels and providing a deep channel between adjacent panels for visual effect and optionally providing concealed ducts for electrical wiring.

This invention relates to structural members, and more particularly, to structural members adapted to support wail panelling sheets.

Recent developments in interior architecture have included interior wall panelling which create the impression of thickness, or produce sculptured effects. Originally, when it was desired to create the impression that the panelling stood out from the wall, it was necessary to use panelling which was as thick as the depth of the impression to be created. Thus, if the panelling was to appear to stand out from the wall an inch, then panelling an inch thick was used. These panels were appropriately finished along their edges, and a space between panels was left. In this manner, the panels created a three-dimensional effect; they appeared to stand out from the wall. To enhance the effect, the spaces between adjacent panels were often in a contrasting color.

The usual manner in which wooden or plastic panels are attached to a wall or other supporting structure to form a partition is by face nailing the panels onto the supporting structures such as studs, furring strips or the like. More recently, new adhesives have been developed for fastening panels to supporting structures. However, even with the use of adhesives, some face nailing is necessary to retain the panels in place while the adhesive sets. Face nailing decorative panels means that the exposed nail heads must be covered and the covering finished to look the same as the panel so that the nails are hidden. This, then results in several steps in the emplacement of a panel, some of which steps are performed by highly skilled mechanics.

It is an object of this invention to provide new and improved structural means for supporting wall panels.

It is another object of this invention to provide new and improved structural means for readily and easily supporting wall panels.

It is a further object of this invention to provide new and improved structural means for fastening wall panels to supporting structure which requires only unskilled workmen.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide structural supports for wall panels which produce a decorative effect.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent as the following description proceeds, which description should be considered together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial view in perspective elevation of the walls of a room showing the structural supports of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the wall structure of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are sectional views of covers which may be used with the central support shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an alternative construction to the support shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a complete structural support for panels including end covers and a conduit passing therethrough;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a structural support similar to that of FIG. 2 with an electrical convenience outlet built therein;

FIG. 8 shows a detail of an electrical conduit which can be used; and

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a modified strip.

Referring to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, panels 11 are shown supported and edgeterminated by structural members 12, 13 and 14. The member 12 is a panel supporting and joining structure, preferably of plastic, which is adapted to fit flat against a supporting wall, stud, or the like 28 and to support in turn, two panels 11. The member 12, as better shown in section in FIG. 2, comprises a channel having a flat central part 21 flanked by two legs 22 and 23. The outside ends of the legs 22 and 23 terminate in rounded hooks 24 and 25 turned in the directions of the two panels 11. A step 26 attached to the leg 22 serves to support at one end the edge of the panel 11 against the hook 24 and at the other end to rest against the supporting structure 28. A similar step 27 serves to grasp at one end an edge of another panel 11 against the hook 25 and at the other end to rest against the supporting structure 28. The member 12 is attached to the supporting structure 2 8 by nails 15 which are driven through the flat central part 21 and into the supporting structure 28. Each leg 22 and 23 includes a barb 29 projecting into the channel to maintain a cover 31 in place over the nails 15. The cover 31 is a channel which has legs 32.

In operation, a structural member 12 is nailed to the studs, furring strips or the like which comprise the supporting structure 28 by nails 15 applied through the central channed part 21. The central channel part 21 and the bottom portions of the steps 26 and 27 rest against the supporting structure 28. The edge of a panel 11 is then inserted into the space between the top of the step 26 and the hook 24, and a similar panel 11 is inserted between the top of the step 27 and the hook 25.'The cover 31 is then inserted beneath the barbs 29, either by sliding it in from one end of the member 12 or by inserting one leg 32 beneath one of the barbs 29 throughout its length and then forcing the other leg 32 under the other barb 29. An entire wall can be faced with panelling in short order.

In addition to the structural member 12 which is adapted to be attached to a flat wall or supporting structure 28, a structural member 13 is provided for inside corners and a structural member 14 is provided for outside corners. These are illustrated in FIG. 1, and since their structure is similar to that of the member 12, bent to go around a corner, no further detailed showing is made. The member 13 for inside corners comprises a central strut 41, which has three separate pairs of protruding wings, 42, 43, and 44. The wings 44 are at right angles to each other and, when the wall is completed, are visible from the interior of the room. Spaced behind the pair of wings 42 is a pair 43, also at right angles to each other to define the corner, and spaced from the pair 42 by the thickness of a panel. The wings '43 are longer than Wings 42 and have legs 45 which extend back toward the supporting wall structure. The wings 44 are at right angles to each other and are designed to fit in the corner of the supporting wall or other structure. Nails may be applied through the wings 43 to fasten the member 13 to the supporting structure.

Similarly, the structural member 14 comprises a central strut 51 from which three pairs of wings 52, 53 and 54 extend at right angles to each other. The pairs of wings 52 is exposed in the room and forms the corner of the room. The wings of pair 54 are at right angles to each other and rest against the corner of the supporting wall 28. The intermediate pair 53 comprises a leg 55 at the end of each wing to rest against the supporting Wall. This pair 53 is spaced from the pair '52 an amount suflicient to accept the edge of a pair of panels 11, one panel on each side. Nails to secure the member 14 to the supporting wall may be applied through the pair of wings 53.

In use, the panelling is started at a corner with a member 13 nailed to the supporting wall 28. A panel 11 is then inserted between a wing 42 and the opposing wing 43, pushing the edge of the panel in fully. A member 12 is placed in position with the free edge of the panel 11 in the space between the step 27 and the hook 25, and nails 15 are driven through the central portion 21 of the member 12 into the supporting wall 28. One panel 11 is now in place. Another panel 11 is placed in position with one of its edges inserted snuggly into the space between the step 26 and the hook 24 of the member 12 which was just mounted on the wall 28. The free edge of the second panel 11 is inserted into the space between the step 27 and the hook 25 of another member 12 which is then nailed to the wall 28. This process continues until a wall has been covered by the panels, cutting the panels to fit if necessary. When the next inside corner is reached, the member 13 is placed in position with the free edge of the last mounted panel in the space between a wing 42 and its opposing Wing 43. The panel may be sprung slightly so that the edge may be mounted in the space in the member 13, and then the member 13 is positioned in the corner of the wall 28 and nailed into position. When the panelling is mounted on the wall 28, the covers 31 are placed in position over the exposed nails 15 as described above. Thus, the entire wall of a room may be covered with the panelling by unskilled labor in a short time.

The members 12, 13 and 14 and the covers 31 may be extruded synthetic resin such as vinyl, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and the like, or any other suitable material. The extrusions may be made in any length, or in an indeterminate length and then cut to size for a particular installation. However, since panelling is usually prepared in sheets of standard sizes, 4 x 8' for example, the members 12, 13 and 14 can also be prepared in standard sizes.

When the panelling is completed, it creates the impression of substantial thickness due to the depth of the channel in the members 12. The members 12 can be made to accept a panel which is inch thick between the steps 26 and 27 and the hooks 25 and 24, and, by forming the channel so that the cover 31 is about inch from the outside of the panel 11, the panels 11 appear to have a thickness of inch. This depth can be varied to meet different conditions, the channel being formed such that the top of the cover 31 may be for example, /2 inch or 1 inch from the outside of the panelling 11. In addition, the members 12, 13, and 14 and the covers 31, can be made in many colors to provide suitable color contrast with the panelling. Thus, if a light colored panelling is used, black or another dark-colored member 12, 13 or 14 can be used. Similarly, dark-colored panelling can be used with lighter colored members. If desired, member 12 can be one shade and the cover 31 another shade for additional color variations. Many such combinations are possible.

In addition to the above, the covers 31 and the member 12 can be designed to incorporate conduits for electrical and signal wiring as well as for plumbing and other utilities. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two possible covers which can be used in this manner. In FIG. 3, the cover 51 comprises a generally U-shaped channel 52 mounted on a web portion 53 which has two legs 54. The assembly forms a chamber which is completely enclose-d except at the ends. An electrical wire 55 comprising two conductors is shown in this chamber which, in itself, can be considered a conduit. The sides of the channel 52 converge slightly to fit under the barbs 29 of the members 12. The cover of FIG. 4 is similar to that of FIG. 3 except that the web portion 53 is supported on legs 54 and has mounted on it a generally U-shaped channel 56 which has a center partition 57 to provide two separate chambers or conduits. Electrical conductors 58 and 59 are shown in the two chambers. In some localities, plastic conduit has been approved for electrical wiring. The covers disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4 could be constructed to meet the specifications for this type of conduit. In those locations where the electrical conduits must still be of metal, the covers 51 could be constructed of metal to meet the requirements of the code. In either case, the cover 51 of either FIG. 3 or 4 provides a decorative, simple and readily installed conduit for electrical wiring. If desired, the cover 51 of FIG. 4'can be made with a central partition 57 of metal which is electrically grounded to provide separate conduits shielded from each other for carrying telephone cables, intercommunication wiring, or the like in addition to power lines.

A conductive plastic material can also be used to shield the Wiring. Alternatively, the channels 26a can be made sufiiciently large to accommodate wires 60.

A modification of the member 12 is shown in FIG. 5. The proportioning of the parts of the member 12 of FIG. 5 is different from that of FIG. 2 to meet different needs. Thismember 12 comprises a flat central portion 61 which is adapted to rest against a supporting wall or other structure (not shown). The member 12 is mounted on the supporting wall by means of nails 75 driven through the central portion 61 and into the supporting structure. Two outwardly projecting legs 62 and 63, one on either side of the central portion 61, end in hooks 64 and 65 and form a channel out of the member 12. The leg 62 has projecting from it along its length, but at right angles to it, a step 66, and the leg 63 has a similar step 67 extending from it. The bottom of each of the steps 66 and 67 are adapted to rest against the supporting Wall. A pair of barbs 69 extend into the channel from the legs 62 and 63 at a distance from the central portion 61 suflic-ient to accommodate therebetween a cover 71 having legs 72.

The distance between the top portion of the steps 66 and 67 and the hooks 64 and 65 is greater than the corresponding distance of the member 12 of FIG. 2. This distance is determined by the type of panelling to be accommodated. In the modification shown in FIG. 5, the member 12 is designed to accomodate panelling which is formed from comparatively thick boards, such as one-inch pine panelling. In addition, the distance between the central portion 61 and the barbs 69 is also greater than the corresponding distance in the member 12 of FIG. 2. In the modification shown in FIG. 5, the legs 72 are sulficiently long that room is provided within the cover 71 for several electrical cables. A cable 74 for electrical power and two telephone cables 73 are shown in the cover 71. The size of steps 66 and 67 may be varied as desired to create the depth impression desired at any particular installation. Thus, even though thicker panelling may be used, it may be desirable in an installation to create the impression of thinner panelling. This can be achieved by decreasing the size of the steps 66 and 67 and by moving the top of the cover 17 closer to the outside ends of the legs 62 and 63, closer to the books 64 and 65. Many combinations of relative spacing are possible to achieve similar special eflects.

Although many installations of panelling on walls are made with drop ceilings so that the top of the members 12 need not be finished since they are hidden by the ceiling, some installations require the space between the flat central portions which rest against the supporting wall and the cover to be sealed. In FIG. 6, a modification is shown in which such an installation may be made. The exploded view of FIG. 6 shows a member 12 supporting two panels 11 between hooks 24 and 25 and steps 26 and 27. A cover 51, shown in greater detail in FIG. 3, is partially illustrated withdrawn from the member 12. The cover 51 comprises a web portion 53 having legs 54 which fit under the barbs 29 of the member 12, and a channel 52 attached to the top of the web 53 to form a conduit. An end cap 80 is shown withdrawn from the cover 51. The end cap 80 comprises a skirt portion 81 adapted to fit within the conduit formed in the cover 51, and a cover portion 84. A pair of tabs 82 extend outwardly from the cover portion 84. A tubular conduit 83 is attached to the cover 84 and communicates with the interior of the cover 51. A pipe 85 is shown for connection to the end of the tubular conduit 83. The tubular conduit 83 may end at the cap or it may extend into the cover 51. Since the cover 51 may be snapped into position under the barbs 29 in the member 12, the tubular conduit 83 may be placed into cover 51, and then the entire assembly may be placed into position in the member 12 when the panelling has been completely assembled. The cover 51 together with the tubular conduit may be readily removed for repairs or replacement at a later date by prying one of the barbs 29 back to release the cover 51. The material from which the member 12 is formed should be reasonably resilient to permit this operation.

In addition to the assembly shown in FIG. 6, the cover for the member 12 may also carry electrical or signalling convenience outlets. FIG. 7 shows a section of a mem ber 12 with the hooks 24 and 25 resting on one side of a pair of panels 11 with the steps 26 and 27 resting on the other side of the same pair of panels. A cover 92 is held in position by a pair of barbs 29 in the member 12. An outlet 91 is attached to the cover 92-by means of a bolt 93, or other convenient attachment means.

The member 12 and the cover 92 shown in FIG. 7 are the same as those shown in FIG. 2. They are used in the same manner as explained above for the devices of FIG. 2. In the case of the embodiment of FIG. 7, telephone wires may be positioned under the cover 92 and brought out through appropriate holes into the back of the outlet 0 91. The outlet 91, in that case, would be a normal telephone jack. In the same manner, electrical power lines could be positioned in the cover 92 and the outlet 91 could be a normal electrical outlet box. In either case, the cover and outlet could be fabricated first and the entire assembly installed after the panelling was completed, or the wires could be inserted in the cover 92 at any time after the initial installation of the panelling and the outlet placed in position at that time. The cover 92 with the outlet 91 and the wiring concealed behind the cover 92 can be removed for repairs at any time as explained above. In addition to the cover 92, any of the other covers shown in FIGS. 3, 4 or 5 or any other suitable modification of these covers could be used. The outlet 91 can be located at any convenient height. In addition, the cover 92, or any of the other covers shown, renders the vertical placement of electrical wiring easy, but the horizontal placement of wiring is still rather difiicult. To overcome this difiiculty, the members 12 can be formed with aligned perforations 95 in the steps and in the legs at a convenient distance from the end so that wiring 94 can be fed through easily as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows the bottom edge 96 of the panelling finished oil with a plastic conduit 97 and a conventional .base strip 98 which may also be a plastic extrusion. The

conduit 97 is an inexpensive plastic extrusion and also serves both as bottom trim and to cover the open spaces at the bottom of the panelling, between the sheets 11 and the wall. If desired, electrical outlets can be installed between strips of conduit along its length, instead of or in addition to the outlets in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative simpler strip similar to member 12, but, in eifect, eliminating the legs of the steps 27 in a self-explanatory manner.

The above specification has described new and improved means for rapidly, efliciently and attractively applying decorative panelling to interior walls. The means is also eifective for exterior panelling as well. With the use of unskilled labor and few additional devices besides the members of this invention, a wall can be rapidly panelled in a manner which provides for the present or later installation of utilities such as telephone and electrical wiring and which is decorative in both color and shape. The final effect is that of sculptured panels which appear to be free standing. It is realized that this desscription may indicate to others in the art additional ways in which this invention may be used without departing from its spirit. It is, therefore, intended that this invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A structural member for mounting wall panels on a fiat planar supporting structure, said member comprising a one-piece channel member having a pair of legs, a step extending outwardly from each leg and at substantially right angles thereto, a rim extending outwardly on the end of each of said legs, the space between said step and said rim being suflicient to accept the edge of a wall panel, and panel support means extending from said step toward the supporting structure to provide support against said supporting structure for a panel inserted between said step and said rim; mounting means at the bottom of said channel, for mounting the same on a supporting structure; a cover strip for said mounting means at the bottom of the channel below the plane of a panel held by said member, thereby leaving a duct space between adjacent panels held by the respective legs of said member, and means removably securing said cover strip in place.

2. The invention according to claim 1, said cover strip being spaced sufiiciently from the bottom of the channel member to provide a concealed space for electrical wiring between the bottom of the channel and the cover strip.

3. The invention according to claim 1, said panel sup porting means extending again inwardly at the supporting structure toward the channel member to provide a concealed duct space for electrical wiring between the channel and said panel supporting means.

4. The invention according to claim 3, including means for supporting an electrical outlet structure within the channel, the channel wall being apeltured adjacent said outlet structure to provide access to electric wiring within said duct.

5. The invention according to claim 4, there being a plurality of said structural members mounted on the supporting structure, a wall panel between each two adjacent such members, and a wiring duct running along the bottom edge of said wall panels and channels.

6. A structural member for mounting wall panels on a supporting structure, said member comprising a onepiece channel member having a pair of legs, a step extending outwardly from each leg and at substantially right angles thereto, a rim extending outwardly on the end of each leg, the space between said step and said rim being ,suflicient to accept the edge of a wall panel, and panel support means extending from said step toward the supporting structure to provide a support against said sup porting structure for a panel inserted between said step and said rim; a cover strip for said mounting means at the bottom of the channel below the plane of a panel held by said member, thereby leaving a channel between adjacent panels held by the respective legs of said member;

. piece ehannel member, a concealed duct tor eiectrical 7 8 said cover strip being in the form of a channel unit hav- References Cited ing two legs joined by a back strip, setd legs extending UNITED STATES PATENTS from the respenuve lateral edges of said back stnp ftoward and in contact with the bottom of said one-piece 2,496,910 2/1950 Fndolph 52 716 X channel member; and two barbs extending inwardly from 5 2803858 8/1957 Rader 52-464 the respective legs of said one-piece channel member in 3,195,693 7/1965 Coder-a 52221 X engagement with said back strip for retaining said cover OTHER REFERENCES strlp 111 plane at the bottom at 52nd nne-pzece channel The Architectural Record September 1936 member, the channel unit formed by said back strip and its extending legs defining, thfl bottom Of one: Primary Examinerwiring, CHARLES G. MUELLER, Assistdn! Examiner. 

